Office on Drugs and Crime

Although only 8% of the world lives in Latin America, the region accounts for a third of all homicides worldwide and cities in this area consistently top international rankings as some of the most violent areas outside of active conflict zones. Behind this danger and criminality are powerful and deeply entrenched transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) trafficking drugs and other illegal commodities, who strongly rely on the endless flow of illicit firearms for carrying out their campaigns of violence. Arms trafficking serves as a critical enabler of organized crime across the Western Hemisphere. From drug cartels to street gangs, illicit firearms are the tools that cause and escalate conflict, undermine state authority, and endanger civilian populations. Without access to illegal weapons, the operational capacity of these groups would be drastically reduced. Already, countries such as El Salvador have demonstrated that it is possible to weaken the influence of TCOs and significantly reduce arms trafficking in the process. If we want to achieve a more peaceful and safer world, not only in Latin America but throughout the whole world, we have to act, and we have to act as soon as possible. We, the nations of the UNODC, need to discuss many different options and strategies for decreasing the power, influence and profits of TCOs, lower the volume of arms being trafficked through the region, and overall increase the security of the whole region.

The overuse of prescription drugs is a relatively recent but growing global concern. In the United States, for example, the rise of opioid overprescription began in the late 1990s, when pharmaceutical companies promoted painkillers like OxyContin as safe and non-addictive. This led to widespread prescribing, eventually resulting in a national opioid crisis. In other parts of the world, such as Europe and Asia, antibiotic overuse has contributed to antimicrobial resistance, while the increased reliance on antidepressants and sleeping pills has recently sparked concerns about mental health care practices. Globally, several systemic issues contribute to this problem: limited mental health resources, time-constrained medical practices, in some cases direct-to-consumer advertising, and public expectations of fast-acting treatments. As a result, medications are sometimes prescribed when non-drug alternatives—such as therapy, behavioral support, or preventative care—might be more appropriate. Over time, this has led to problems such as drug dependence, rising healthcare costs, and the spread of drug-resistant infections.